


Sin el Cielo

by Artistado



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Egyptian motif/parallels, Eventual Smut, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prompto and Gladio are detectives, Tags Are Hard, phantom thief!AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-10-23 19:08:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10725390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artistado/pseuds/Artistado
Summary: Noctis is a descendant of a long line of kings and thieves. Together, with his Navigator, they start a journey to steal back the pieces of the Armiger, holy weapons passed down the lines of kings that were stolen as war prizes by neighboring kingdoms long before his birth. However, an assassin and detectives stand in his way, wanting to put an end to both his life and bloodline...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Boy howdy, it's been a long time since I've written something. Probably somewhere around ten years, give or take. I hope it will live up to expectations, and someone will enjoy it! At any rate, this fic was a weird thought I had one night, and it has some ideas/elements borrowed from DN Angel and Persona 5.  
> I don't have much else to say, haha, besides I hope you enjoy it! Also, I hope my updating will be better than it was in the past;;

 

The bell above the door rang out, signaling someone had arrived. The male seated at the desk at the far edge of the room looked up carefully, before returning to his work. Well, that wouldn't do in the slightest. A smile crossed the newcomer’s lips, and he slowly made his way across the room, stopping in front of the desk. He didn't utter a word at first, wondering if the male would offer him some form of greeting. It didn't happen. How could he keep a practice like this if he ignored those who arrived? It was quite strange. That wouldn't deter him, however. Placing a hand against his upper chest, he cleared his throat, making sure it was loud enough for the seated male to hear.

“Hey.” Was that the best he could come up with? Actually, yeah. He had been told that this male wasn't the easiest to talk to. “If you keep ignoring people who come into your business you won't have a lot of customers.”

Finally, the gaze shifted from the papers laid out before him, up to the male who had entered his establishment. “Can I help you?” The voice was gruff, and unamused; well, this wasn't the best situation for him, but far be it from him to be deterred so easily.

“Yeah, actually. I'm the one who got assigned here. You got the paperwork, right?” The smile never faded from his face as he spoke, trying to gauge the male before him.

“Yeah, I got it. Why did you want to be stationed here?” The male grumbled. The orders had come from corporate, and he couldn't ignore them. Why did they want him to work with this kid, though? Sometimes what they decided made little sense. It was of little consequence, in retrospect. Slowly, he started to take in the male before him. Messy blond hair with blue eyes, and a darker outfit. It was irrelevant.

“I thought it would be fun to work in the big city, plus we're close to the castle here, right?” He had always wanted to be stationed in the city, and he finally had his chance. He had worked hard to be one of the best in his class, just so he could have this opportunity. He wouldn't dare squander it. “You're Gladiolus right? The name's Prompto. I'm glad to meet you.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever.” Gladio raised a hand and waved him off. He had a lot of work to do, especially after the incident that had occurred not too long ago. “Just go and do something.”

“What do you want me to do? Oooo, can I go check out the city? It's close to the castle, yeah?” Prompto repeated the question that had been glanced over before, but he needed the answer.

“Close isn't really the word for it, kid. The castle is in the city, yeah, but this is pretty close to the outskirts. Insomnia is a big city. Go do whatever you want.” Once more, he waved Prompto off, hoping he'd take the hint.

Prompto was silent for a long moment, before a thought came to him. “We should exchange phone numbers! This way if I get lost, you can come find me.” The sigh Gladio let out didn't go unnoticed by Prompto; he didn't sound too thrilled. Whatever, it wasn't really his problem. They were to be partners, there were no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

 

After some more convincing, Gladio finally relented and gave Prompto his phone number. With the number in hand, and an urge to explore, Prompto left the building. The air was crisp with the chill of the approaching winter, the wind blowing through the streets. The streets were crowded with people, all of them buzzing about something. Prompto would have to stop and listen when he had a chance. It sounded interesting, but he had other thoughts in mind. Gladio hadn't been kidding it seemed. Prompto couldn't even  _ see _ the castle from where he was in the city, let alone find it. This place was huge... He knew it was big, but hearing it and actually experiencing it were completely different situations. Maybe he really would get lost and need Gladio to find him. That would be embarrassing; his first day here on the job, and already he was lost. A low laugh left him at the thought- it was rather anticlimactic.

Letting his eyes close, he took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. No, he'd find his way back to the building, he had marked the location in his phone and he had a tracking device. It would be fine, he was overthinking. What he really needed to focus on was the task at hand. With renewed vigor, he started down the streets again, letting his eyes wander over the patrons and the shops that lined the streets. The city here was so alive- a far cry from what he was used to back home. Back home... He shook his head,clearing the thought from his mind. No, now was not the time to delve into those thoughts, he had more pressing matters to attend to. Nodding to himself, he continued forward.

 

In the end, the city was just too large; and as someone who knew almost nothing about it, it was almost an impossible task. He had done research before he was assigned here, but research only got him so far. There was a lot that couldn't be learned from looking stuff up. Of course, to top it off, he wasn't the best at information gathering either. It had never been his strong suit, but far be it from him to let it deter him. He was determined, if nothing else, maybe to a fault. It was also starting to get late. Where could he go to gather information... The thoughts swam in his head, before it suddenly hit him. A bar! Of course, bars were great places to gather information. Alcohol tended to make people much more loose-lipped then they would be otherwise; it was perfect. Now, he just needed to find a bar. Based on the size of the town he was currently in, and Insomnia in general, there had to be a few within the vicinity. A grin crossed his features at his own genius thought. So maybe it wasn't the most original or smartest thought he had ever had, but it was his best shot at getting  _ something _ .

After asking some random pedestrians on the street where the closest bar was, he found it. Already he could smell the smoke emanating from the building; it was almost suffocating, but he had a job to do. Far be it from him to turn away from an opportunity. Taking in a deep breath, he opened the door and stepped inside. Immediately, his hearing was assaulted with the loud voices, all converging together into one mass. It was hard to pinpoint any one conversation or word, not that it was that important at the moment.

Moving between the tables, chairs, and people, Prompto made his way towards the bar, slipping onto an open bar stool at the bar. He had to observe the patrons to decide who would have the best information. Information gathering was so dull... It definitely wasn't his favorite thing to do. It was a necessary evil, however, and he was committed to it.

After what felt like forever around nosy and drunk people, someone caught his attention. They looked different, they looked like someone who had just gotten off of a job. A police officer, perhaps? He would likely be the best source of information for Prompto. He had to take the chance to get something. Pushing himself off the bar stool, he headed over to the table the cop was seated at. He was by himself; either because he was a loner, or perhaps his partner was out for the moment. Whatever the case, Prompto thanked his luck, offering a smile to the male.

“Hey there, I saw you sitting by yourself and figured maybe you wanted some company?” He offered to him, swallowing back a lump in his throat. He wasn't sure why his throat had suddenly tightened up; maybe it was the amount of people in the area, maybe it was the cop... He wasn't entirely sure, but he had to do this.

Slowly, the police officer looked up to Prompto, before just shrugging. Prompto wasn't going to question it. He had a chance! Pulling a chair out from underneath the table, he sat down, placing his hands on the table. “I just got transferred here, so I'm looking to get some information on the area. Would you mind helping me out?” Prompto offered another smile, hoping the officer would buy into it. He was really trying his best here.

“Yeah sure kid, what do you want to know?” The cop seemed disinterested, but that was fine. It was better that Prompto had him off-guard, instead of on high alert. It meant that he didn't register Prompto as a threat, which was something he was glad for. It would make it easier to squeeze some information out of him. It was almost perfect, and he couldn't stop the dopey grin that snaked across his lips.

“So, this might sound weird, but where is the castle? I've never been in a town so large, it's all overwhelming.” Laughing, Prompto moved a hand up to run through his messy blond hair. “I think it's supposed to be in the center of Insomnia, right? How far are we from it here?”

“From here, like five hours. It's pretty deep into the heart of Insomnia. There are subway trains that run through that you can take if you are interested.”

“Cool, thanks man. That'll be super useful!” Carefully, Prompto took in the officer's demeanor. He still seemed pretty lax, that was to his advantage. When he thought about it, he had no idea when the officer had arrived here, or how much he’d had to drink. This might end up being easier than he had originally anticipated. Luck was on his side, for once. “Hey, uh, I also overheard some people mention a thief had returned? Also that they sent something... What was it called again.....” Prompto trailed off, moving a hand to his chin as he thought over what he had been told, “oh right! Someone found a calling card or something.” Waving his hand a little at the notion, he kept his gaze on the intoxicated male before him. “What do you know about this thief?” His voice had dropped lower, and he leaned forward a bit more in his chair and over the table. He hoped the male was intoxicated enough to not realize that he was asking what could be considered classified information.

“...Not a lot is known about the thief...” the officer started, leaning back in his chair. He seemed to be contemplating his next words carefully, which made Prompto's anxiety flare. It wasn't good, he didn't want the officer to get too suspicious. Maybe he hadn't been as intoxicated as he had originally thought. “We just know there was one years ago, then they disappeared. Disappeared entirely. Like they never existed. It was weird, and no reason could be found for it. We all assumed they had died, and now... It seems like they returned. But, I was looking in the records, and I swear the mask is different for this one........” The officer trailed off there, and Prompto saw someone placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, I've come to pick you up.” The newcomer said, and Prompto realized it was likely the officer's partner. Well, shit. Just when he was starting to get some good information too.

Slowly, Prompto pushed the chair out from underneath the table, standing upright. “Thanks for the help, have a good night.” Bowing to the two men, he moved to get out of the area before they got suspicious of him. That would be bad.

“....Who was that kid?” The officer's partner asked, watching Prompto disappear into the masses in the bar.

“No idea, just some weirdo who came up to me. Said he was new here and wanted to see the castle. It's a popular tourist site, so I told him to just take the subways.” A shrug was his final answer, it was the truth.

 

Once he was outside the bar, he let the cool night air fill his lungs. Leaning against the wall, he closed his eyes, moving a hand to rest over his face. How loose-lipped that cop had been, it was pretty incredible. Where he was from, the cop would have been jailed for leaking information. His heart was pounding in his ears, he realized. Had he been that worked up? He knew he had been rather anxious while talking to the male but had tried to play it cool. It seemed it had worked. A low laugh left his lips, but he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was relief; he had been so tense... His body slid down the wall slightly, and he looked up to the sky, seeing the round moon. The city was nice at night, he noted. The gentle lights from the buildings on the street as well as the street lamps illuminated the darkness around them, giving the city a warm, safe glow. Even the pale light from the moon reflected warmly off of the buildings, it really was picturesque- different from what he was used to.

Sitting on the ground, back against the wall, he started to reflect on the intel he had just received. So, the mask for this thief was different. It could mean it was the same thief, but they just changed up their signature to avoid past suspicion. Or, it could be a different thief all together. He'd have to get more information on the old thief, to see if the methods added up. How easy that was going to be... he was uncertain. He had no idea how public any of the older information on the thief had been. What a bothersome situation. A heavy sigh passed his lips, and his eyes slipped closed. He let his head go back against the wall behind him, his mind wandering as the cool wind caressed his body.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Noctis.” A voice called out from the hallway, causing the prince to look up from the information flashing on the screens in front of him. His gaze drifted towards the male standing in his doorway, and he just offered a small smile.

“Ignis, what's up?” He asked, turning in his chair to face the other the best he could. The only light in the room was that from the monitors around him. The illuminated Noctis' features in a fluorescent blue glow.

“First off, what did I tell you about working in the dark? It's not good for your eyes.” Ignis scolded him, stepping into the room and flicking on the light switch on the wall. It forced Noctis to close his eyes and reel back at the sudden light. It took him a minute to adjust to the brighter room; Ignis had done that on purpose.

“My eyes are fine, Ignis.” Noctis huffed at him, crossing one leg over the other as he sat there, watching him. “Were you able to dig up the information you needed?”

“About that... My apologies, it seems a lot of it is classified, and under heavier security than I had originally anticipated.”

“Hmm....” Noctis trailed off, taking in what Ignis had relayed to him. It wasn't good... How were they supposed to find the treasures if they weren't sure where they were located. It did make sense that the knowledge on their whereabouts would be heavily guarded, however. Raising a hand, he brought up a screen, starting to look over the information relayed there. “There has to be a record somewhere, right?”

“Theoretically, yes. Theory isn't always reality, however. It would seem unwise not to have a record of where all the pieces had gone, but it would also be a smart move to keep the locations a secret.”

“So, they were either incredibly smart or incredibly stupid.”

“Essentially.”

“Great.” Noctis sighed louder than he had thought, Ignis' eyes resting on him when he heard it. This was a pain in the ass... Moving a hand to his head, the long digits moved through the black strands. He was stressed out. Not once in his wildest dreams did he think they'd be easy to track, but this was almost impossible.

“Noctis, you should probably get some rest.” The hint of worry was apparent, even to Noctis, but he ignored it. Noctis only shook his head in response to the statement, and it was Ignis' turn to sigh. “You'll run yourself ragged, and that would be very unbecoming of someone who is due to be the king.”

Noctis just shook his head once more in disagreement; he couldn't stop just because he hadn't found a ton of information on the subject. He had to do this, it was his duty as someone who was to be the ruler of this land. He had hoped with the appearance of that calling card, it would ruffle some feathers. Maybe he had misjudged the situation, but it needed to be done. It had to be announced that the thief was back. He and Ignis had carefully planned it, and he knew it wouldn't go to waste. It couldn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was that. Please feel free to leave a comment, so I know if it's worth continuing or not! Even if It's just "It's good" or "I like it" would be more than enough. Thank you.  
> I also want to thank my beta reader, hopefully they made this make sense;;


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not just any rain, but torrential.  
> -  
> Oh boy, here we go. This was done sooner than I expected, I guess I'm really motivated, haha;;; I want to say, don't get used to like daily updates, however. I do have some ideas where this is gonna go, though, so hopefully that will help me move it along. I don't have an update schedule, it's just it gets updated when I finish a chapter and my beta reader goes through it.
> 
> At any rate, if you are wondering what Ignis and Noctis look like in this chapter, their designs are here:
> 
> [Noctis](http://68.media.tumblr.com/5c6e6897114cdc3346845b54de27cf8a/tumblr_oowqfdVYXF1qgr6doo2_1280.png)   
>  [Ignis](http://68.media.tumblr.com/ac0e4ba533eb03fababcd671c5c4e27d/tumblr_op0ch0JZha1qgr6doo2_1280.png)
> 
> Surprisingly, I finished most of the concept artwork for this fic too;;; The masks are actually on their faces normally, I just have them up on their heads for concept purposes.

**Chapter 2**

 

Intelligence gathering wasn't really Prompto's strong suit, and he had no skills in hacking to boot. Who knew trying to find information on the former thief would be so difficult? Sitting at a desk, he stared at the screen before him. His arms were crossed over his chest, a frown predominate on his features. Already, he had exhausted the information he could find readily available on the internet; it wasn't a hell of a lot. He couldn't find any information on what kind of mask the former thief had worn, nor could he even pinpoint a gender for them. Everyone had assumed the thief was male and referred to them as such, but what if.... No, he shook his head at the thought.

It only made what the cop said all the more interesting, and he was still obsessing over it days later. The mask was different... How did he know that? Had he known what the mask of the former thief had looked like? If so, then he had some insider information that Prompto was dying to get his hands on. Prompto, however, knew nothing about the male, where he worked, or if he even worked in this district. On top of that, there was no guarantee the cop would even tell him information on the thief, considering it was classified. It was quite the predicament- one he wasn't sure how to fix. The odds of him finding that same cop at the same bar were extremely slim, and even if he did, the cop might recognize him and be more guarded. Especially if his partner had heard him and reprimanded him for giving away the information so freely. So, he was basically back to square one, besides some miscellaneous details.

“Ugh.” He groaned loudly in displeasure, leaning back in the chair and staring up at the ceiling. It was frustrating, to say the least; how was he supposed to be able to do this without even one scrap of information? He needed a distraction, something to take his mind off of his current situation. He could come back to this in a bit, with a fresh mind. Maybe there was something he was missing, overlooking... Slowly, his eyes started to move across the room he was in now; it was in Gladio's house, above his detective agency. Gladio had given him this room, since Prompto had no money, and it was a direct order from corporate. Prompto didn't mind, it made it easier for him, he honestly couldn't have asked for a better situation with housing. The room was small, and modestly furnished; it only really had a bed, a desk, a nightstand with a lamp, and a television. All were fine for him, he didn't need anything else to start with, and if he wanted something else, he could just buy it himself.

Reaching over to the remote that was on the desk, he flicked the television on, just as something for background noise. It made the room feel less empty. Plus, with something else to focus on, maybe he could uncover new possibilities he hadn't thought of prior... He could only hope.

 

Prompto was jostled awake when the door to his room opened. He jumped up from the chair he had fallen asleep in, tense, his eyes falling on the intruder. Once his mind registered who it was, his shoulders slumped, the tenseness leaving him. Running a hand through his hair, he just laughed a little. “You could have knocked, you know. What if I was naked or something?”

“Prompto, this isn't a joke.” Gladio spoke with a pointed tone, holding something up in his hand. Before Prompto could get a good look at it, Gladio flung the paper at him. It moved towards him, before veering and hitting the ground helplessly to the side.

“What the hell was that, you didn't have to throw it at me!”

“Grab it and look at it, idiot.”

The snort didn't go unnoticed by Prompto, but he did as instructed. Turning to where the paper had fallen on the floor, he looked at it. The side facing up had some rather intricate detailing on it, it was quite catching. But it also radiated an aura that said it wasn't just a normal piece of paper, or card. It was clearly a card, a carefully well made one too. Someone had put a lot of care into making it. Bending over, he hesitated a moment, hand hovering over the card. His heart was beating faster, but he had no idea why. Why was this getting him so worked up? The seconds felt like days, everything was slowing down, until he finally grabbed the card off the floor. His eyes were closed as he held it, feeling a lump in his throat.

“Prompto!”

“Okay, okay, geeze.” Swallowing the heaviness in his throat, he opened his eyes. His heart skipped a beat. “W-what the hell is this....?!” He was shaking, he could see the card visibly moving in his grasp. His eyes shot up from the card to Gladio, his fingers clenching tighter on the laminated paper.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“It appears the calling card worked. Maybe a little too well. There are more units than I had originally anticipated. I'm picking up readings of people in the area.” Ignis' voice rang in his ear, the sound coming through the communicator planted there.

“Great. Just great. Why did we send it to begin with? It basically gives us away and what we're doing.” Noctis had honestly always found the practice to be a little obtuse; it just seemed like a way to get caught.

“Have a little more tact, Noct.” The voice was scolding, but it was in a playful way. Noctis slanted his eyes in annoyance, but only huffed in response. “...Or should I call you 'Horus'?”

Noctis scoffed at the name, but it wasn't entirely far off. The transformation the crystal and the power had given him was strange, to say the least. A bird mask adorned his face, a black veil flowing behind it with gold trimming. Two curled feathers rested on either side of his head, with round jade stones inserted into them. Long pieces of cloth with gold tips ran down either side of his face, all it it coming together to completely mask his features. A shendyt rested around his waist, hanging down just above his knees. Golden bands rested on his upper arms, on his thighs-hidden beneath the shendyt, and lower legs. Knee high sandals ran up his legs, accenting off of the golden bands pressed against his skin. That was basically his entire ensemble, besides bandages. They were wrapped all around his body, pulled tight. It was surprising he was still mobile with them, but they didn't hinder his movements in the slightest. It had caught him off-guard at first, but now it just felt natural.

Noctis stood on the roof of an unassuming building; it looked just like every other building in the area, not one to spare a second glance at. Maybe that was why they used it, because it just looked so ordinary and plain. He swallowed hard, his throat dry. The night air was cold as it whipped past him, ruffling the bandages on his body and the shendyt. He and Ignis had gone over the floor plans for this building many times before they had decided on the infiltration date; Ignis was almost godly at information gathering. It even amazed the prince originally, but now he was glad to have that skill on his side. He knew it would be invaluable.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Ignis' voice in his ear again, “at any rate, I did it to announce your reappearance.”

“You say that as if I was the former thief that disappeared without a trace.”

A sigh was his response, and his gaze traveled to the street below. He watched the people pass, waiting for the rest of what his navigator would say. “Noctis, the thief is eternal. It is passed through bloodlines, and each new generation brings a new thief. They are all one and the same.”

Noctis fell silent for a long moment after hearing those words; this he already knew. However, for a being that was eternal, it sure lacked the memory to go with that statement. Every lifetime the new thief had to relearn everything, and all of them had different appearances. So, was it really the same thief, or a new one for every soul? Noctis was starting to believe it was the latter; there was no evidence to support the former, though in actuality there was no evidence to support either. It was annoying.

“That aside,” Noctis finally spoke, breaking the silence that had fallen between them, “it's convenient that one of the pieces in the Armiger is here. I'm guessing it's more of a coincidence. It was probably sold around, and just ended up back in Insomnia.” This honestly bothered him, the fact that one of them appeared here. The only one they could locate _just_ happened to be here, in Insomnia. The odds of that were slim to none, and Ignis had warned him it might be a trap to fish the new thief out. Which brought up another thought in Noctis' mind: Who told them that the thief had been reborn? It wasn't like it had been announced before the calling card was sent out. Bait for the new thief... but how did they know he would be related to the royal family? There were too many unknowns. Or it was a coincidence. Noctis sighed.

“Records show that it was most likely sold around, and brought to Insomnia to be sold off to one of the nobles here.”

“They just love their old weapons, don't they? They don't care where they come from, as long as they have a show piece.” The tone of disgust was prominent, he didn't bother to try and hide it.

“Now now Noctis, no need to get so worked up.”

“It's a pain in the ass, and you know it.”

“Noctis, enough. We have a job to do.” Ignis reminded him, tone harsh. “You need to start moving to get the weapon before they start swarming the building. Need I remind you that getting caught on the first mission would be unbecoming. You need to focus. I've picked up movement in the building, time is limited.”

Noctis didn't need to be told twice, it would be very bad if he got caught now. It had been kept quiet that the pieces of the Armiger were ransacked from the royal tombs; the king couldn't show any weakness. Now, it was thrust onto Noctis to retrieve what was stolen a couple hundred years ago. He couldn't help the bitterness that rose up in him sometimes at the fact; all because of who his parents were... Most importantly his mother. Shaking his head, he started to walk along the rooftop, eyes falling on what was to be his entrance and escape routes: A broken window. Years of neglect found some of the windows broken, which worked in his favor. Ignis had said they probably used this building for storage because it was close to the docks, so cargo could be easily loaded and unloaded from this building and it could go completely undetected by the police. Them even stumbling on the weapon had been mere chance; it had been a feeling Noctis had had that one was close, which caused Ignis to start to dig into some of the inner workings of Insomnia. Noctis honestly couldn't ask for a better navigator, Ignis had listened to his unfounded hunch and here they were. He could have just blown it off, but he hadn't; and he actively looked into it. Right, he couldn't fail now. With renewed vigor, he moved and jumped through the broken window.

 

Landing inside the building, Noctis took off down the hallways. He was on a predetermined path that he and Ignis had worked out beforehand. It was the shortest and simple way to the weapon; luckily the building had an open floor plan and wasn't too complicated. The only things Noctis had to watch out for were shipment containers, since the placement and stock of them changed rather frequently. Still, however, the path was direct, mostly so the workers could get around the building. It was all to their advantage.

Noctis could tell there were cops outside the building; he could see the lights and hear the voices. This didn't deter him, however, he had a job to do. The lighting from the police cars was eerie though, Noctis wouldn't deny that. The way the red and blue caught on the containers and cast distorted shadows though the building was unsettling. His heart was pounding- which made sense; this was his first job, and there was a high risk factor here. If he wasn't anxious, it would be suspicious. Sticking to the shadows, he passed some police who were patrolling around the building, heading into the backroom. It was there that Ignis had gotten a read on the signal for the weapon, the likely hiding spot of it.

Coming to a door in the back, Noctis pushed it open, stepping into the dark room. Laid out on a table, he saw the weapon. The way it glowed in the moonlight that got through the windows was quite fetching, he'd almost call it beautiful. But he was tense. His body was so tense. He should have been relieved, so then, why.....?

 

“Noctis, what's wrong!? Your heart rate just spiked!” This was above the normal levels for anxiety. There wasn't supposed to be anyone in the back room, he had scanned it, and nothing showed up on his monitor, but Noctis was oddly quiet. “Noctis!” Ignis repeated into the receiver, until a loud bang rang in his ears. A gunshot? How? Why? No one was supposed to be in there...! Another scan came up empty, what the hell was going on...?

“...Ignis we have a problem!” Noctis' voice rang out, snapping Ignis out of his thoughts. “There's someone else here. I don't know how, or who they are. They are dressed up like me, except their mask looks like a jackal, or a fox, or something.”

A jackal....? The words rang in Ignis' head, his mind searching for answers. A jackal, a jackal, a jackal.... Anubis? Or was it....?

      “Noctis you need to get out of there!”

“I have to grab the weapon first, or this will all be for nothing!” Noctis said, before another gunshot rang out over the headset.

 

This was bad, to say the least. Ignis hadn't warned him someone else was here, and who was this male before him? It was obviously a male, because he was shirtless. Adorned with a black canine-looking mask, pieces hung down from the head piece, covering his back and shoulders, tipped in gold. His chest was bare, and he looked extraordinarily pale, or maybe it was the odd lighting in the room. Light reflected off of gold around his neck, upper arms, lower arms, and lower legs. Like Noctis, he wore long sandals and a shendyt; no bandages, however.

“Who are you, and what are you doing here?!” Noctis asked the male across from him. He could see the gun held in the male's hand too; a fact which disturbed him. It wasn't because Noctis was unarmed, he had a knife if he needed it, it was just the fact that the jackal had come here with a gun.

Unsurprisingly, the jackal didn't answer him, just fired off a gunshot that shot past his face. It ripped into the veil on his back and tore it. This guy wasn't messing around. Noctis didn't need to be told twice, adrenaline starting to run through his body. He needed to move and get the hell out of here before he was killed. His body moved on it's own, fueled by the adrenaline running through his system. He ran over to the weapon, diving for it as another gunshot went off, and the jackal started after him. Shit, he was fast, faster than Noctis would have guessed by looking at him.

Noctis hit the ground on his stomach, he was close to the weapon, but not close enough. Getting his hands underneath him, he went to push himself up, before a click caught his attention. He felt something hard press against the side of his head, where the veil was. Noctis swallowed hard, his hand outstretched for the weapon that was so close. The gun was at his head, he could tell. He could feel the gunman's presence, knew he was kneeling beside him with the gun pressed to his head.

“That's the best you've got?” An unfamiliar voice lamented, and it took Noctis a second to register that the gunman had just spoken. “I had expected so much more from you. The legendary phantom thief returns, and this is the best they have to offer?” The gun was pushed more against his head, and the gunman leaned down closer to him. Noctis could feel a hand rest on his mask, he assumed it belonged to the gunman. “Lets see your face before I send you to the afterlife.”

Noctis swallowed hard, and closed his eyes. Well, this was it. He guessed he'd at least go out with a bang. He knew he couldn't move to attack the gunman, if he did, he'd likely be shot then and there. He also doubted he could reason with him.

 

Without warning, the gunman reeled back, fire erupting into the spot between Noctis and him. It took Noctis a minute to even register what had happened, and he only realized when he felt the heat of the fire. It all seemed so surreal at this point. What happened next, be barely remembered; maybe that was what people called an out of body experience. He heard Ignis shout in his ear to get the weapon and run, but he didn't register it. His body moved without conscious input, and he grabbed the weapon, holding it in his hand. What happened next, he had no idea. Something flashed, he heard a gunshot, and that was it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, feel free to let me know what you think, any and all comments are appreciated! Hopefully I'll get a chance to work on the next chapter;;;


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Did you find the pun in the last chapter? That's how you know this is quality content.
> 
> So, here's the next chapter. It came out longer than I expected, and took longer than I expected. I'm still trying to get my footing with writing again, so I apologize if this story is all over the place and not that consistent. My beta reader has been doing a hell of a job making sure this all goes together. Anyway, lets go.
> 
> If you wanna know what Gladio's gorgeous mask looks like, you can find it [here](https://68.media.tumblr.com/3a6c49d891ea2e93c8ce736801fab3f4/tumblr_op8hs9Zsp81qgr6doo2_500.png). I had some of my friends draw it too, and they all came out fantastic.

**Chapter 3**

He paused in the doorway that linked the house and the agency, contemplating the male working before him. Gladio didn’t look up or give any indication of noticing him standing there. He really was infuriating; and stubborn, infuriatingly stubborn even. In the days since seeing the calling card Gladio had refused to answer a single question on the topic, going so far as to avoid him if he so much as brought it up. _He_ had been the one to show Prompto in the first place- bursting into the room with an aura of urgency, almost literally throwing the damn thing in his face, just to storm back out in the face of Prompto’s questions, a strange look on his face. He had chased him down the hall, tried to convince him to go to the location but Gladio had been determined to ignore the card completely, acting as though the incident had never happened.

If he wanted to be like that, fine. Prompto would just have to keep trying. He could be equally as stubborn, if he wanted to be. Gladio couldn’t avoid him this time, stuck working in the agency, but he would tread gently; for now his research had brought up new questions.

“Hey Gladio, is it true what they say? That no one knows what the crown prince actually looks like?” Prompto finally left the doorway, heading towards Gladio’s desk. He put his hands down on it, leaning forward.

“What's with your obsession with the prince?” Gladio asked, still not looking up from the screen in front of him. Maybe he had known Prompto was there all along, had chosen to ignore him. Asshole. Although, at least he had bothered to reply… it was a start. This, he could work with.

“I don't have an obsession with him, I just find it interesting.” Prompto offered a shrug before continuing, “it's all so different from what I'm used to. I just wanted to get to know the area I'm stationed in better.”

A sigh was his response, but Prompto remained leaning, unwilling to give up so soon. This was the most conversation they had shared in days. A long silence fell, painfully dragged out, before Gladio finally broke it. Prompto resisted the urge to give a little victory dance, keeping his expression carefully controlled.

“It's true.” were the words he was eventually offered.

“Huh, really? Why is that?”

“It's so he can live a normal life among the people. The same happened with King Regis.”

“That's so weird man, why would royalty want to live among normal people like you and me?” Prompto finally pulled back, standing upright and moving a hand to his chin. “If I was the prince, I'd always want to be in the castle. Servants to do everything for you, all your cooking, all your laundry, anything you wanted. Sounds like heaven, why would he give that up?” It was really strange. Where he had come from, it would be completely unheard of. Royalty stayed in the castle, where they belonged. “Where does the prince live, then?”

“No one knows.”

Prompto had guessed as much. “...A prince who lives among his subjects, unbeknownst to them...” He repeated the information to himself quietly, it still sounded a little weird in his mind. Why would a prince willingly do that? Barely a name was known for the crown prince, how odd. That was why Prompto couldn't find any public information on the prince. Only the last name, not a first one.   He moved his hand to his forehead, pressing his fingers to it, rubbing gently as though it would help force the answers into his mind. It didn’t work. He sighed deeply, eyes closed.

“Oh, oh right. Gladio, why did you get that calling card the other day?”

 He winced at how contrived it sounded; he had meant it to seem a little more… well, natural. Silence greeted him; he cracked open an eye, checking that Gladio hadn’t simply gotten up and left. It wouldn’t have surprised him, in fact it surprised him more to find that the male still sat in place. His arms were crossed, full attention on Prompto, annoyance clear. Prompto offered him a weak smile, opening his eyes to watch him properly. Still he was met with stony silence. His mouth opened and closed a few times, scrambling for the right words to keep the other there, to finally get answers.

“We were assigned to work together. We have a common goal. Come on Gladio….”

More silence filled the room, but Prompto refused to back down; he stood before Gladio, meeting his gaze. He knew that Gladio knew more than he was letting on, and Prompto was assigned to work with him for a reason.

“You're playing a dangerous game here, Prompto.” Gladio warned darkly, his expression reflecting the tone of his words.

“I'm not afraid.” Prompto offered, waving a hand to him.

Prompto waited. And he waited some more. It felt like eternity before Gladio finally shifted in his chair, his unwavering gaze steady on Prompto. He moved a hand, pushing it against his face as he leaned over onto the desk, shaking his head.

“My father was the main detective on the case with the former thief. He had picked it up early in his career, followed it until the end. He even continued working on it after the thief disappeared. He wanted to know why, it didn't make sense to him. Why would they just up and disappear without a trace? So he started to look into where the thief had gone. Had they been captured? Were they killed? These were things he wanted, no, needed, to find out.”

“I'm guessing he didn't?” Prompto didn't like the tone this was taking, it caused him to swallow hard. “Let me guess, he went and retired after that and lived the rest of his life a happy man with his family.” He forced a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. It was obvious that wasn't the case in the slightest, but he could hope. Gladio didn’t laugh, Prompto’s own chuckle dying in the face of the deathly glare thrown his way.

“He was murdered.” Gladio supplied in response, his expression remaining dark. “We found his body not far from where we were living at the time. I have no idea why he was killed, or who killed him. Was it because he knew too much, learned too much? I haven't found the answer.”

Prompto only nodded meekly; he had grossly misread the situation, now he felt like a complete ass. He had figured it was bad, but that went way beyond his expectations, and he hadn’t meant to joke about such a sore subject. What was he even supposed to say to him now? “....That's awful.” It was the only thing that came to his mind.

Gladio offered a shrug, he didn't particularly care for Prompto's pity or sympathy. “All I knew was that he had been working on a case involving the phantom thief, and I wanted to know more. I wanted to know why they targeted and killed him. What was it about that thief? Had the thief killed him because he found out their real identity and was going to go public with it? All his research and notes disappeared too. I have no idea where they went. So, I looked into the thief myself to see if I could find anything. There was nothing.” Gladio paused, watching Prompto carefully.

Prompto felt guilty; he had no idea why. It wasn't like he was withholding information from Gladio, and it wasn't like he knew anything himself. But he knew from his own research how scarce any information on the former thief was; maybe that was why his heart felt heavy with this new information. No wonder all of his questions had been shot down so quickly, mere reminders of a painful time; of Gladio’s failures, both as a son and as a detective.

“Since my father had worked with the cops before, I went to them.” Gladio continued, taking Prompto's rare silence as a sign that he was actually paying attention. “I asked them if they ever saw another calling card, to let me know. I was able to weasel my way in with my father's connections. It was a long shot; the former thief hadn't been heard from in years by then, even now.... It's been over twenty years since the last card was sent. So, why now?” Gladio slammed his hand down on the desk, frustrated, making Prompto jump. He had been engrossed in the tale, leaning in closer despite himself. He pushed himself back upright, dragging himself to the present, words spinning in his mind.

“So why now, after twenty years, has the thief shown themselves? I need answers god dammit.” Gladio slumped in his seat, drained, tiredness leaking through in his final words. He sighed, sluggishly turning his attention back to the monitor, returning to his previous task. He was done, he had nothing left to offer, all he could do was trudge onwards with his life.

Prompto really was flabbergasted; he had no idea how to respond to what Gladio had just told him. He had had no idea that Gladio was this entwined with the thief, but at the same time it made sense. His employer had said that his new partner would be every bit as motivated as he was, he had just neglected to mention why. Finally words came to Prompto, and he moved to stand taller.

“Lets do it together.” He said with conviction, nodding his head and holding his hand out to Gladio. Gladio made an inquisitive sound, looking to the outstretched hand with a frown, head tilted. His eyes flickered upwards to Prompto’s face,studying his expression as he waited for clarification.

“Lets go catch that thief together. Everyone knows a good detective needs a sidekick! Plus, I'm pretty good with a gun, was top of my class in marksmanship.” He grinned widely to the other, keeping his hand there for him to shake.

Finally, a smile began to spread on Gladio's face, matching Prompto’s. He took the hand in his own, shaking it firmly. “Just don't chicken out at the first sign of danger.”

 -

“Gladio, I just came up with a great idea!” Prompto announced as he entered the living room. Gladio was laying on the couch, reading through a book; television on. The sound on it was low, cementing its status as background noise.The male didn't take his gaze off the book. He flipped a page, but Prompto wasn't going to be deterred.

“So, I was thinking. You know how the thief wears a mask, right? I was thinking we should wear masks too. It would help keep us safer; make our identities unknown.” Gladio's gaze flicked to him at that, so he continued. “This might sound weird, but this guy I know, well, my former boss actually...” He paused to laugh nervously; it had been easier to word in his head- made more sense. “Well anyways, he knew I was interested in the phantom thief and he gave me this whole ensemble for if i ever got more involved, said it might come in handy… I know… it’s kind of weird…” he repeated his earlier words as his voice trailed off, scratching the back of his head anxiously. He hadn’t wanted to say anything but it seemed incredibly important to him, after all Gladio's father had been murdered while _not_ wearing a mask. He didn’t want Gladio to get murdered too because he didn’t wear a mask and was easily tracked down. He actually kind of liked Gladio now that he wasn’t being an asshole and avoiding him all the time.

   “...You’re right. That does sound weird.”

   “I know… but hey, don't question a gift, right? So anyway, since I already have a mask, I went ahead and made you one! Ta-da!” Prompto's enthusiasm was almost infectious; almost. Gladio could feel his heart sink as Prompto reached to his back pocket, pulling something from it, holding it up.

“...........Prompto, what the hell is that?”

“It's your mask! I made it myself~!” Prompto was practically beaming with pride at what he had created.

“......It's a damn sheet with some damn eyes drawn on it. What the hell am I supposed to do with that?!”

“Wear it, duh. It's not my fault you didn't have any sheets long enough.”

“Prompto...!” Gladio growled through clenched teeth, having put the book to the side while Prompto was talking to him. Prompto had his full attention now- and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted it any more.

“Look! I even gave it cute little cat ears!”

Gladio was going to kill him. They were going to find his body in the river, launch a full investigation. He was a detective, surely that meant he could get away with a murder just as well as solve one. Sadly, fingers would be pointed squarely at him, the only one with any real motive. Surely the officers would understand, there was only so much indignity a man could take before he snapped. Even if not, at least jail would be Prompto free. He gritted his teeth again, dragging himself from the blissful fantasy.

“I'm not wearing that.”

“What? Why not?! I spent a long time on it!” The words came out almost like a whine, Prompto still holding the cloth out before him.

“I swear to the gods, Prompto...!” Gladio slipped off the couch with that, towering above Prompto. Prompto, however, didn't move to stand down, holding his position.

“It'll look great, I promise!”

Gladio didn't get a chance to get a word in edgewise, before Prompto moved and shoved the thing over his head. He tried to grab it and pull it off, but Prompto's voice cut in.

“No! Nononononono, don't take it off! It looks good on you!”

“There's no eye holes in this damn thing! I can't see anything!”

“Well yeah, how was I supposed to know where your eyes were until you put it on?”

At this point, Prompto was glad that Gladio's face was covered by the mask. He could still feel the glare aimed at him, even through the material.

“On the plus side, it's an improvement to your overall look.” He was dead at this point, beyond dead, and he knew it. He couldn't stop the smile that was on his face, or the laugh that left him. He was genuinely happy in this moment; it was an odd feeling. Even when Gladio lunged at him, it didn't hinder his mood.

“Hey hey, watch out! There's a coffee table there.” The amusement he felt was evident in his voice.

Prompto watched as Gladio bumped the coffee table, glad it was there to stop Gladio from going after him properly. He had been afraid of what would have happened if not for the table, visions of his face turning purple as Gladio throttled him flashing before his eyes. No, it was okay; Gladio couldn’t see, besides which Prompto was smaller and faster. No matter how mad he got he would have been able to escape… unless he was disabled by laughter as it bubbled over from within. It was infectious, Gladio could feel his own smile growing beneath his mask, struggling to keep up appearances. He could only be thankful for the… creation that had been put on him, a thought he had not imagined might come to mind. Ever.

Warily, Prompto moved to step around the wooden table, heading over to Gladio and grabbing his arm. “Here, let's sit down so we can cut out those eye holes.”

“The women love my face.” Gladio grumbled as Prompto moved him him back to the couch.

“Yes, yes I know.” Prompto humored him, looking at the sheet. “Sit still, and don't move.”

Turning away from him, Prompto walked over to a desk situated in a spare corner in the living room. It was a nice desk, made out of solid wood and clearly an antique. Papers were scattered all over the desk, covering the wooden surface. Prompto, however, wasn't going to read though Gladio's personal files. The thing that really caught Prompto by surprise was the fact that it was _paper_ . Paper wasn't used incredibly often nowadays, especially not like this. Almost all information was processed and available only on computers, phones, or tablets. It was so rare to see that it was just weird in all honesty. Why would he even _need_ information printed out? He also knew Gladio wasn't that _old_ , so it wasn't like he had any of the usual reasons to carry over a relic from an older age. Then again, the paper did appear to be somewhat discolored... Prompto took himself out of those thoughts by shaking his head. No, he wouldn't go through the paperwork, and right now he had a more pressing task. Mostly, making eye holes before Gladio took the mask off and threw it at him.

Finally, he placed his hand on the handle for the top drawer, opening it. Immediately he saw what he was looking for- scissors. Grabbing them without a second thought, he turned away from the desk, sliding the drawer shut. He'd leave the paperwork for now, but he couldn't stop the nagging voice in the back of his head. _Look at the paper, Prompto. The information you are looking for is among those papers, Prompto. You need this information, Prompto..._ It was in _his_ voice too. He couldn’t quite catch the noise of disgust that left his lips; he hadn’t meant to react vocally.

“Is something wrong? Are you cutting these eye holes today, or do you need a damn written invitation?” Prompto heard Gladio's voice from the couch, and it snapped him out of the thoughts that were starting to swell in his head.

“Nothing, nothing~! Don't move so much, alright?” The smile returned to his face, it was just so damn amusing to see Gladio with the sheet over his head. More entertaining than he had thought it would be. It didn't exactly match what he had seen, but it would do. It wasn't as if Prompto was known for his artistic skills but he had done his best with what talent he had. Heading back over to the couch, he looked at the sheet, before grabbing the front. He slid his hand underneath the fabric, feeling around underneath it to where the drawn eyes were.

“Prompto, don't you dare...!”

“Don't move!” Prompto warned, feeling Gladio's hand grip at his wrist- bruisingly tight. “I'm not going to like gouge your eyes out or anything, I promise.” Slowly, Prompto started to cut a slit in the sheet where the eyes were. Maybe the eyes he had lovingly drawn didn't line up _exactly_ with where Gladio's eyes were, but he wasn't going to let something like _accuracy_ or _anatomy_ take away from his beautiful work. Prompto kept his hand where it was, the back of the scissors brushing against his fingers. He did this in case something happened, he'd end up cutting himself and not accidentally blind Gladio with an ill conceived idea. Wouldn't that be fun to admit at parties.

Prompto had decided to sit down on the coffee table as he went to work cutting, humming to himself. When he thought he was done he stood back to survey his work, wide smile back on his lips.

“Aaaaaaannnnnnnnddddddddd done! Go take a look!” Watching as Gladio got up and headed into the restroom, Prompto didn't move from the table. He was so pleased with himself, it was of little consequence when he heard Gladio say, “it looks like shit” from the bathroom.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 A mild groan of pain emerged from his lips; Noctis rolled over on the bed to try and alleviate the pressure. Slowly, his eyes opened up and stared out blankly to the wall opposite of him. Right now, nothing was really registering in his mind, it was all blank. The sound of movement snapped him out of his odd daze, his eyes moving to the other person in the room. It took him a long moment of looking at him before his hazy mind started to come back to reality, grounding himself. “....Ignis....”

“Afternoon.” was all Ignis responded with, waiting for Noctis to gain his bearings.

Noctis watched him for a long moment; Ignis was seated in a chair beside the bed he was resting in, his bed, he corrected mentally. Then… this was his room. When did he get back to his room? He didn't remember... Moving his hands, he pushed them down on the bed, pain shooting up and through his body. A surprised gasp of pain left his throat before he fell back down on the bed, hearing Ignis get up to attend to him.

“Are you alright?”

“No, I'm not.” Noctis groaned out, flickering closed. His head was pounding, he could feel it pulsating behind his eyes. Pain flared in his shoulder, hand moving up to grab at it. That's when it hit him; his shoulder had bandages on it. Was he still in his transformation? No, he wasn't, that much he could tell. Then, these bandages...

“Try not to move too much, Noctis. Your shoulder was badly wounded by the gunshot.” Ignis provided, trying to help the prince get into a more comfortable position. At least one where Noctis wasn't putting so much pressure on the wound.

Noctis allowed Ignis to help reposition him, keeping his eyes closed. Resting his head back against the pillows, he let out a ragged breath. “I was shot?”

“Yes.” Ignis nodded, going to sit back in the chair beside Noctis' bed. “You were shot by that gunman...” His voice trailed off.

“...Did I get the weapon...?”

Ignis was quiet for a moment, placing his hands in his lap. Leaning back, he crossed one leg over the other. “That, I am not sure of. When I found you, you didn't have the weapon, and I couldn’t get a reading on it in the building. Or anywhere, for that matter.” Moving a hand up, Ignis started to stroke his chin, thinking carefully about his words. “I checked the building after I retrieved you to make sure. There was no sign of it.”

“...What happened...?”

Shaking his head, Ignis looked away from the prince to the wall behind him. “I haven't a clue. All of my monitors glitched, and when I got them back, you were unconscious. I followed your signal and found you outside of the building. I could sense magick was used, and found traces of fire magic inside the room where I lost contact with you. I was hoping you could provide that information to me.”

“I.... just remember seeing that gunman with the jackal mask, there was a flash... Maybe that was the fire? That's it, though.” Noctis moved a hand up to his head, his fingers slipping into the dark bangs. “How long was I out?”

“A couple of days, nothing to concern yourself with.” Brushing off the question, Ignis' gaze returned to rest on Noctis. “However,” Ignis started, suddenly remembering what he wanted to mention to the prince, “you'll be happy to know that I was able to find traces of a few other Armiger parts.”

The hand slid down from Noctis' face when he heard that, opening his blue eyes to let them rest on his navigator. “What...? How?”

“Since you came into contact with the one, I was able to take its signature reading. Placing it into my system, it came back with some areas that have a similar reading. So, even if you didn't get that piece, it opened us to finding the other pieces. A job well done, Noctis.” Ignis moved, leaning over closer to the bed, placing a hand on Noctis' uninjured shoulder. “I'm glad you're alright outside of the gunshot wound.” His voice was lower, sounding relieved; Noctis barely caught it.

“It would take more than that to kill me.” Noctis replied dryly. It would be a cold day in hell before he allowed his first mission to be his last. He had been trained to be a thief and he wasn't going to let it go to waste. Sure, maybe he hadn't been trained how to avoid getting a gun pointed at his head, but he had never claimed to know everything either. “Where are they?”

“In other towns, not too far off. I had prepared for this, however, so needn't let it bother you. It was only logical to assume pieces would be outside of Insomnia. We will go over the details later, for now, rest.” Ignis patted him on the shoulder again, moving to stand. “I will get the plans in motion in the meantime.”

Noctis offered him a nod of understanding. He didn't just want to lay around while Ignis did all the work, but he knew it would be the best idea for now; the worst thing he could do would be to injure himself further. His navigator put something down on the nightstand beside his bed, next to a glass of water, before leaving, door firmly closing behind him. Looking over to what was left behind, it was some pills, likely to dull the ache. Noctis moved to take them without a second thought, before laying back down, pushing his head into the pillow. There were thirteen pieces to the Armiger, one they had found, but was unaccounted for... The others were in undisclosed locations outside of Insomnia. His head was in agony and he closed his eyes, succumbing to sweet, merciful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whispers expositionnnnnnnnnnnn
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, thank you


End file.
